Methods of forming structures on an integrated circuit product

ABSTRACT

One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a conductive region, wherein the seed layer is comprised of a metal-containing material, forming a nucleation layer on the seed layer, wherein the nucleation layer is comprised of a transition metal oxide ceramic material, and performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein the alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from the seed layer and at least one material from the nucleation layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No. 13/783,715, filed Mar. 4, 2013.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Generally, the present disclosure relates to the manufacture of sophisticated semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to various methods of forming various structures, such as conductive contacts and vias, on integrated circuit products.

2. Description of the Related Art

The fabrication of advanced integrated circuits, such as CPUs, storage devices, ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) and the like, requires a large number of circuit elements, such as transistors, capacitors, resistors, etc., to be formed on a given chip area according to a specified circuit layout. During the fabrication of complex integrated circuits using, for instance, MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technology, millions of transistors, e.g., N-channel transistors (NFETs) and/or P-channel transistors (PFETs), are formed on a substrate including a crystalline semiconductor layer. A field effect transistor, irrespective of whether an NFET transistor or a PFET transistor is considered, typically includes doped source and drain regions that are formed in a semiconducting substrate and separated by a channel region. A gate insulation layer is positioned above the channel region and a conductive gate electrode is positioned above the gate insulation layer. By applying an appropriate voltage to the gate electrode, the channel region becomes conductive and current is allowed to flow from the source region to the drain region.

Fabricating such circuit elements involves forming various “features” or “structures” of the devices, such as gate electrode structures, metal lines, conductive contacts, etc. Each of these features has a so-called “critical dimension,” which is typically the smallest size of a particular feature, e.g., the width of a line. As another example, for transistor devices, the critical dimension is gate length, which approximately corresponds to the width of the gate electrode that is positioned above the channel region of the device. Historically, such features and structures are typically formed by depositing a layer of material, forming a patterned photoresist mask layer above the layer of material and thereafter performing an etching process on the layer of material through the patterned photoresist mask layer, wherein the remaining portion of the layer of material after the etching process is the desired feature or structure. In other cases, a trench may be formed in a layer of material by performing an etching process through a patterned photoresist mask layer and thereafter a desired feature, e.g., a metal line, may be formed in the trench. The deposition, masking and etching techniques are performed using a variety of known deposition, etching and photolithography tools and techniques.

As should be clear from the foregoing, photolithography is one of the basic processes used in manufacturing integrated circuit products. At a very high level, photolithography involves (1) forming a layer of light or radiation-sensitive material, such as photoresist, above a layer of material or a substrate, (2) selectively exposing the radiation-sensitive material to a light generated by a light source (such as a DUV or EUV source) to transfer a pattern defined by a mask or reticle (interchangeable terms) to the radiation-sensitive material, and (3) developing the exposed layer of radiation-sensitive material to define a patterned mask layer. In general, the illuminated regions of the layer of photoresist material are chemically activated. In the case of a so-called “positive” resist mask, the exposed regions of the layer of photoresist material are subsequently removed in the developing process. In the case of a so-called “negative” resist mask, the illuminated regions of the layer of photoresist material are not removed during the developing process. Various process operations, such as etching or ion implantation processes, may then be performed on the underlying layer of material or substrate through the patterned photoresist mask layer.

Over the recent years and continuing to present day, there has been a constant demand for electrical consumer devices with improved operating characteristics, such as operating speed, and for physically smaller devices. As a result, device designers have reduced the physical size of the various features that are used in manufacturing integrated circuit devices to increase their performance capability and to produce smaller devices with more functionality, e.g., cell phones. To be more specific, the gate length of current generation transistor devices has been reduced to about 25-30 nm, and further reductions are contemplated in the future. Of course, the ultimate goal in integrated circuit fabrication is to faithfully reproduce the original circuit design on the integrated circuit product. Historically, the feature sizes and pitches (spacing between features) employed in integrated circuit products were such that a desired pattern could be formed using a single patterned photoresist masking layer. However, in recent years, device dimensions and pitches have been reduced to the point where existing photolithography tools, e.g., 193 nm wavelength photolithography tools, cannot form single patterned mask layers with all of the features of the overall target pattern.

To overcome the limitations of current day photolithography tools and techniques, the semiconductor manufacturing industry has developed and employed several so-called double patterning techniques to be able to manufacture devices with features sizes that are smaller than can be patterned using a single exposure photolithography process. Double patterning generally involves the formation and use of two separate patterned photoresist mask layers instead of one to form the desired feature. Using these techniques, the second mask must be accurately aligned with the first mask. Two examples of known double patterning techniques include a so-called LELE (Litho-Etch-Litho-Etch) process and a LFLE (Litho-Freeze-Litho-Etch) process. However, such double patterning techniques are expensive and add to processing complexity.

The present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming various structures, such as conductive contacts and vias, on integrated circuit products that may solve or at least reduce some of the problems identified above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive overview of the invention. It is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is discussed later.

Generally, the present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming various structures, such as conductive contacts and vias, on integrated circuit products. One illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a conductive region, wherein the seed layer is comprised of a metal-containing material, forming a nucleation layer on the seed layer, wherein the nucleation is comprised of a transition metal oxide ceramic material, and performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein the alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from the seed layer and at least one material from the nucleation layer.

Another illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, wherein the seed layer is comprised of a metal-containing material, forming a nucleation layer on the seed layer, wherein the nucleation layer is comprised of a transition metal oxide ceramic material, and performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein the alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from the seed layer and at least one material from the nucleation layer and wherein each of the alloy structures is positioned above one of the plurality of conductive regions. In this example, the method further includes the steps of, after forming the alloy structures, forming a material layer above the nucleation layer and around the alloy structures, performing at least one etching process to remove the alloy structures and portions of the seed layer so as to thereby expose the plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of the spaced-apart conductive regions, forming an initial conductive structure in each of the openings, wherein the initial conductive structures are conductively coupled to the conductive regions, performing at least one etching process to remove the layer of material and the nucleation layer so as to thereby expose the initial conductive structures, forming additional conductive material on the initial conductive structures so as to thereby define a plurality of conductive contacts, each of which is conductively coupled to one of the spaced-apart conductive regions, and forming a layer of insulating material around the plurality of conductive contacts.

Yet another illustrative method disclosed herein includes forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, wherein the seed layer is comprised of a metal-containing material, forming a nucleation layer on the seed layer, wherein the nucleation layer is comprised of a transition metal oxide ceramic material, and performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein the alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from the seed layer and at least one material from the nucleation layer and wherein each of the alloy structures is positioned above one of the plurality of conductive regions. In this example, the method further includes the steps of, after forming the alloy structures, forming a material layer above the nucleation layer and around the alloy structures, performing at least one etching process to remove the material layer and the nucleation layer and to pattern the seed layer so as to thereby expose the alloy structures, forming a spacer structure around each of the exposed alloy structures, forming a layer of insulating material around the spacer structures, performing at least one etching process to remove the spacer structure, the alloy structure and the patterned seed layer so as to thereby expose the plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of the spaced-apart conductive regions and forming a conductive contact in each the openings, wherein each of the conductive contacts is conductively coupled to one of the spaced-apart conductive regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIGS. 1A-1D depict various methods disclosed herein of forming alloy structures by performing a thermal treatment process;

FIGS. 2A-2H depict one illustrative example where the methods disclosed herein may be employed to form a plurality of illustrative conductive structures; and

FIGS. 3A-3G depict yet another illustrative example where the methods disclosed herein may be employed to form a plurality of illustrative conductive structures.

While the subject matter disclosed herein is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The present subject matter will now be described with reference to the attached figures. Various structures, systems and devices are schematically depicted in the drawings for purposes of explanation only and so as to not obscure the present disclosure with details that are well known to those skilled in the art. Nevertheless, the attached drawings are included to describe and explain illustrative examples of the present disclosure. The words and phrases used herein should be understood and interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the understanding of those words and phrases by those skilled in the relevant art. No special definition of a term or phrase, i.e., a definition that is different from the ordinary and customary meaning as understood by those skilled in the art, is intended to be implied by consistent usage of the term or phrase herein. To the extent that a term or phrase is intended to have a special meaning, i.e., a meaning other than that understood by skilled artisans, such a special definition will be expressly set forth in the specification in a definitional manner that directly and unequivocally provides the special definition for the term or phrase.

The present disclosure is directed to various methods of forming various structures, such as conductive contacts and vias, on integrated circuit products. As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a complete reading of the present application, the present method is applicable to a variety of technologies, e.g., NFET, PFET, CMOS, etc., and is readily applicable to a variety of devices, including, but not limited to, ASIC's, logic devices, memory devices, etc. With reference to the attached drawings, various illustrative embodiments of the methods disclosed herein will now be described in more detail.

FIGS. 1A-1D depict one illustrative example of forming a masking layer using the novel techniques disclosed herein. FIG. 1A depicts the masking layer 10 at an early stage of manufacture. The method begins with the formation of a seed layer 14 above a substrate material 12 having a plurality of spaced apart conductive regions 13 formed therein. The conductive regions 13 are intended to be representative in nature. For example, the conductive regions 13 may be doped regions, e.g., source/drain regions for a transistor device, that are formed in a semiconductor substrate, or the conductive regions 13 may be a metal-based line or via formed in an insulating substrate material. The conductive regions 13 may be formed using traditional materials and techniques. A nucleation layer 16 is formed above the seed layer 14. In some embodiments, an adhesion layer (not shown) may be formed between the substrate 12 and the seed layer 14. The various material layers shown in FIG. 1A may be comprised of different materials, they may be formed by performing a variety of known processing techniques, such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, physical vapor deposition (PVD), etc., and the thickness of such a layer(s) may vary depending upon the particular application. In one illustrative embodiment, the substrate 12 may be comprised of an insulating material, such as a low-k insulating material (k-value less than about 3.3) and it may have a thickness that falls within the range of about 100-800 nm. In such an embodiment, the conductive regions 13 may be copper-based metal lines that have been formed in the low-k layer of insulating material. The substrate 12 may be positioned at any level or any location in an integrated circuit product. The seed layer 14 may be comprised of a metal-containing material such as, for example, platinum, copper or aluminum, etc. Depending upon the particular application, the seed layer 14 may have a thickness that falls within the range of about 5-200 nm. The nucleation layer 16 may be comprised of a transition metal oxide ceramic material such as, for example, a strontium, bismuth, tantalum, or niobium containing material (e.g., stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ or SrBi₂Nb₂O₉, also called SBT or SBN or as a mixture of both SBTN). The thickness of the nucleation layer 16 may also vary depending upon the particular application, e.g., it may have a thickness that falls within the range of about 50-250 nm, and it may be deposited by performing single or multiple deposition/anneal steps.

FIG. 1B depicts the masking layer 10 after a thermal treatment process has been performed. The thermal treatment process results in the formation of a plurality of alloy structures 18. In one illustrative example, the methods disclosed herein may be controlled such that the alloy structures 18 are formed in a periodic pattern, such as the illustrative periodic pattern of the alloy structures show in FIG. 1C. In one illustrative embodiment, the alloy structures 18 are cylindrical post-like column structures that have a diameter that falls within the range of about 20-200 nm, although the size and configuration of the alloy structures 18 may vary depending upon the particular application. Additionally, in the depicted example, the alloy structures 18 are formed to such a length that they extend above the upper surface of the nucleation layer 16, as shown in FIGS. 1B and 1D. In some applications, the alloy structures 18 may extend above the upper surface of the nucleation layer 16 by a distance of about 200-300 nm, although the length of the alloy structures 18 may vary depending upon the particular application. Stated another way, in one illustrative embodiment, the alloy structures 18 may have an axial length that falls within the range of about 250-500 nm. In the example, depicted in FIG. 1C, the alloy structures 18 are formed in a square-type pattern such that each of the alloy structures 18 is approximately equally spaced from the immediately adjacent alloy structures 18.

FIG. 1D will be referenced to explain the manner in with the alloy structures 18 are formed. The above-mentioned thermal treatment process may be performed in either a traditional furnace or an RTA chamber at a temperature that falls within the range of about 600-850° C. for a duration of about 20-120 minutes (in a furnace application) or about 120-600 seconds (in an RTA application) in an oxygen ambient. In one example, an RTA process is initially performed to cause better nucleation of monocrystalline nuclei for later grain growth during a subsequent furnace anneal process. By changing RTA parameters, e.g., temperature ramp rate, the density of the nuclei of the layer may be defined. In one example, a subsequent thermal treatment process may be performed in a processing ambient comprised of forming gas (e.g., 95% N₂-5% H₂) or even a hydrogen atmosphere, which reduces Bi_(x)O_(y) layered material to elementary bismuth (Bi) especially at the grain boundaries and forms together with the platinum a conductive Pt—Bi alloy. As platinum has a catalytic influence on hydrogen—the reduction of bismuth is intensified especially at the grain boundary regions of layer 16 and needle growth is accelerated. This thermal treatment process may be performed at a temperature that falls within the range of about 230-430° C. for a duration of 20-120 minutes in a furnace. The thermal treatment process should be performed at a melting point above that of the metals involved but below the temperature at which reduction of the metal material occurs inside the grains so as to enable the formation of the alloy structure 18 instead of mere bumps. In general, with reference to FIG. 1D, during the thermal treatment process, at least one first material from the seed layer 14 combines with at least one second material in the nucleation layer 16 to produce the alloy structure 18 that includes both of the first and second materials. These actions are reflected by the arrows 14A (first material(s)) and 16A (second material(s)). In a specific example where the seed layer 14 is comprised of platinum and the nucleation layer 16 is comprised of a bismuth-rich material, such as SrBi2Ta2O9 (stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric), or Bi_(x)O_(y), platinum will diffuse from the seed layer 14 and combine with bismuth from the nucleation layer 16 to form an alloy structure 18 comprised of a bismuth-platinum alloy material.

As mentioned above, by controlling various parameters of the thermal treatment processes, such as thermal budget, ramp rate, temperature and/or duration, the pitch or pattern of the alloy structures 18 may be controlled. For example, the ramp rate used in the thermal treatment process may range from 10-80° C./sec. In general, the greater the ramp rate, the more closely spaced will be the alloy structures 18, i.e., the greater the ramp rate, the greater the density of the alloy structures. Additionally, the higher the temperature of the thermal treatment process, the more SBT material is transformed from amorphous to crystalline material (closes the matrix). The longer the duration of the thermal treatment process, the more SBT material is crystallized. The thickness of the layer 16 also influences the nucleation within a certain range of thickness: the thicker the layer 16, the more grain nuclei are formed and hence the denser is the matrix. However, at some point above a certain thickness (e.g., about 100 nm), this effect goes into a saturation. Additionally, above a certain temperature/time combination (thermal budget) of the thermal treatment process, the crystalline matrix is closed and grains could grow together. The thermal budget of the thermal treatment process could also influence the diameter of the resulting alloy structures 18. In general, the greater the thermal budget for the forming gas anneal process, the taller and larger (diameter) will be the resulting alloy structures 18.

FIGS. 2A-2H depict one specific application wherein the alloy structures 18 formed above may be employed in forming conductive structures on an integrated circuit product. In FIG. 2A, a layer of insulating material 20 has been formed above the structure depicted in FIG. 1B, and a planarization process, such as a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process or an etch-back process, has been performed on the layer of insulating material 20 to arrive at the structure depicted in FIG. 2A. The layer of material 20 may be comprised of a variety of materials such as, for example, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, polysilicon or any other material that exhibits good etch selectivity relative to the alloy structures 18, and it may be formed using any traditional process, e.g., CVD, ALD, etc.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, one or more etching processes are performed to remove the alloy structures 18 and the underlying portions of the seed layer 14. In one example, the etching processes may be dry anisotropic etching processes. The etching process(es) results in the formation of a plurality of openings 22.

FIG. 2C depicts the device after an appropriate amount of a conductive material 24, e.g., titanium, a bulk copper-based material, tungsten, aluminum, etc., has been formed so as to overfill the openings 22 with the conductive material. The manner in which such conductive materials are formed are well known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 2D depicts the device after at least one chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process has been performed to remove excess amounts of the conductive material 24 positioned outside of the openings 22 to thereby define a plurality of initial conductive structures 24A positioned in the openings 22.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2E, one or more etching processes are performed to remove the layer of material 20, the nucleation layer 16 and the remaining portions of the seed layer 14. In one example, the etching processes may be dry anisotropic etching processes. The etching process(es) leaves the conductive structures 24A positioned above the substrate 12.

FIG. 2F depicts the device after a selective deposition process has been performed to form additional conductive material 26 on the conductive structures 24A to thereby result in conductive features 30. The additional conductive material 26 may be comprised of a variety of different materials, e.g., a metal or metal alloy, polysilicon, a semiconductor material, etc. The additional conductive material 26 may be formed by performing a variety of known techniques, e.g., CVD (PECVD or MOCVD), ALD, etc. The quantity of the additional conductive material 26 formed on the conductive structures 24A may vary depending upon the particular application.

FIG. 2G is a plan view depicting one illustrative pattern in which the conductive structures 30 may be formed using the methods described herein.

In FIG. 2H a layer of insulating material 32 has been formed above the structure depicted in FIG. 2F, and a planarization process, such as a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) or an etch-back process, has been performed on the layer of insulating material 32 to arrive at the structure depicted in FIG. 2H. The layer of insulating material 32 may be comprised of a variety of insulating materials such as, for example, silicon dioxide, porous SiOCH (organosilicate glass), a low-k (k value less than about 3.3) insulating material, etc., and it may be formed using any traditional process, e.g., CVD, ALD, etc. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the arrangement of the conductive structures 30 was formed without the use of photolithographic tools or techniques. Accordingly, the methods disclosed herein may be employed to form very small sized features without using photolithography tool or equipment and may provide a means to form very small features that are beyond the direct patterning capabilities and limitations when using such photolithography tools and techniques.

FIGS. 3A-3G depict yet another specific application wherein the alloy structures 18 formed above may be employed in forming conductive structures on an integrated circuit product. FIG. 3A depicts the device at a point of fabrication that corresponds to that shown in FIG. 2A, i.e., after the alloy structures 18 have been formed.

FIG. 3B depicts the device after one or more etching processes have been performed to remove the layer of material 20, the nucleation layer 16 and to pattern the seed layer 14. Such etching processes are performed using etch chemistries that allow selective removal of material relative to the alloy structures 18.

In FIG. 3C, illustrative spacers 40 have been formed around the perimeter of the alloy structures 18. The spacers 40 may be comprised of a variety of insulating materials such as, for example, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, a low-k (k value less than about 3.3) insulating material, etc. The spacers 40 may be formed by performing a conformal deposition process, e.g., CVD, ALD, etc., and thereafter performing an anisotropic etching process on the layer of spacer material to thereby result in the spacers 40 positioned around the perimeter of the alloy structures 18. The width of the spacers 40 may vary depending upon the particular application.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, a layer of insulating material 42 has been formed above the structure depicted in FIG. 3C, and a planarization process, such as a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process or an etch-back process, has been performed on the layer of insulating material 42 to arrive at the structure depicted in FIG. 3D. The layer of insulating material 42 may be comprised of a variety of insulating materials such as, for example, silicon dioxide, porous SiOCH, a low-k (k value less than about 3.3) insulating material, etc., and it may be formed using any traditional process, e.g., CVD, ALD, etc.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3E, one or more etching processes are performed to remove the alloy structures 18 and the spacers 40 selectively relative to the layer of insulating material 42. In one example, the etching processes may be dry anisotropic etching processes. The etching process(es) results in the formation of a plurality of openings 44.

FIG. 3F depicts the device after several process operations have been performed. First, an appropriate amount of a conductive material, e.g., titanium, a bulk copper-based material, tungsten, aluminum, etc., was formed so as to overfill the openings 44 with the conductive material. The manner in which such conductive materials are formed are well known to those skilled in the art. Thereafter, at least one chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process has been performed to remove excess amounts of the conductive material positioned outside of the openings 44 to thereby define a plurality of conductive structures 46 positioned in the openings 44.

FIG. 3G is a plan view depicting one illustrative pattern in which the conductive structures 46 may be formed using the methods described herein. The cross-hatching of the materials has been maintained in FIG. 3G for ease of explanation. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, FIGS. 3A-3G depict another example where the methods disclosed herein may be employed to form an arrangement of the conductive structures 46 without the use of photolithographic tools or techniques.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. For example, the process steps set forth above may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method, comprising: forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, said seed layer being comprised of a metal-containing material; forming a nucleation layer on said seed layer, said nucleation layer comprising a transition metal oxide ceramic material; performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein said alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from said seed layer and at least one material from said nucleation layer and wherein each of said alloy structures is positioned above one of said plurality of conductive regions; after forming said alloy structures, forming a material layer above said nucleation layer and around said alloy structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said alloy structures and portions of said seed layer so as to thereby expose said plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of said spaced-apart conductive regions; forming an initial conductive structure in each of said openings, said initial conductive structures being conductively coupled to said conductive regions; performing at least one etching process to remove said material layer and said nucleation layer so as to thereby expose said initial conductive structures; forming additional conductive material on said initial conductive structures so as to thereby define a plurality of conductive contacts, each of which is conductively coupled to one of said spaced-apart conductive regions; and forming a layer of insulating material around said plurality of conductive contacts.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said seed layer is comprised of one of the following materials: platinum, copper or aluminum.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said nucleation layer is comprised of a strontium, bismuth, tantalum, or niobium containing material.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said thermal treatment process is performed at a temperature that falls within the range of about 230-430° C.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein a temperature ramp rate during said thermal treatment process falls within a range of about 10-80° C./sec.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said additional conductive material is comprised of one of a metal, a metal alloy, polysilicon or a semiconductor material.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said layer of insulating material is comprised of one of silicon dioxide, porous SiOCH or a low-k (k value less than 3.3) insulating material.
 8. A method, comprising: forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, said seed layer being comprised of a metal-containing material; forming a nucleation layer on said seed layer, said nucleation layer comprising a transition metal oxide ceramic material; performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein said alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from said seed layer and at least one material from said nucleation layer and wherein each of said alloy structures is positioned above one of said plurality of conductive regions; after forming said alloy structures, forming a material layer above said nucleation layer and around said alloy structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said material layer and said nucleation layer and to pattern said seed layer so as to thereby expose said alloy structures; forming a spacer structure around each of said exposed alloy structures; forming a layer of insulating material around said spacer structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said spacer structure, said alloy structure and said patterned seed layer so as to thereby expose said plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of said spaced-apart conductive regions; and forming a conductive contact in each of said openings, each of said conductive contacts being conductively coupled to one of said spaced-apart conductive regions.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said seed layer is comprised of one of the following materials: platinum, copper or aluminum.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein said nucleation layer is comprised of a strontium, bismuth, tantalum, or niobium containing material.
 11. The method of claim 8, wherein said thermal treatment process is performed at a temperature that falls within the range of about 230-430° C.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein a temperature ramp rate during said thermal treatment process falls within a range of about 10-80° C./sec.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein said layer of insulating material is comprised of one of silicon dioxide, porous SiOCH or a low-k (k value less than 3.3) insulating material.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein said conductive contacts are comprised of copper, aluminum or tungsten.
 15. A method, comprising: forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, wherein said seed layer is comprised of one of the following materials: platinum, copper or aluminum; forming a nucleation layer on said seed layer, wherein said nucleation layer is comprised of a strontium, bismuth, tantalum, or niobium containing material; performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein said alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from said seed layer and at least one material from said nucleation layer, wherein each of said alloy structures is positioned above one of said plurality of conductive regions and wherein said thermal treatment process is performed at a temperature that falls within the range of about 230-430° C.; after forming said alloy structures, forming a material layer above said nucleation layer and around said alloy structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said alloy structures and portions of said seed layer so as to thereby expose said plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of said spaced-apart conductive regions; forming an initial conductive structure in each of said openings, said initial conductive structures being conductively coupled to said conductive regions; performing at least one etching process to remove said material layer and said nucleation layer so as to thereby expose said initial conductive structures; forming additional conductive material on said initial conductive structures so as to thereby define a plurality of conductive contacts, each of which is conductively coupled to one of said spaced-apart conductive regions; and forming a layer of insulating material around said plurality of conductive contacts.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein a temperature ramp rate during at least a portion of said thermal treatment process falls within a range of about 10-80° C./sec.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein said additional conductive material is comprised of one of a metal, a metal alloy, polysilicon or a semiconductor material.
 18. A method, comprising: forming a seed layer above a substrate that includes a plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions, wherein said seed layer is comprised of one of the following materials: platinum, copper or aluminum; forming a nucleation layer on said seed layer, wherein said nucleation layer is comprised of a strontium, bismuth, tantalum, or niobium containing material; performing a thermal treatment process at a temperature so as to generate a plurality of spaced-apart, vertically oriented alloy structures, wherein said alloy structures are comprised of at least one material from said seed layer and at least one material from said nucleation layer, wherein each of said alloy structures is positioned above one of said plurality of conductive regions and wherein said thermal treatment process is performed at a temperature that falls within the range of about 230-430° C.; after forming said alloy structures, forming a material layer above said nucleation layer and around said alloy structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said material layer and said nucleation layer and to pattern said seed layer so as to thereby expose said alloy structures; forming a spacer structure around each of said exposed alloy structures; forming a layer of insulating material around said spacer structures; performing at least one etching process to remove said spacer structure, said alloy structure and said patterned seed layer so as to thereby expose said plurality of spaced-apart conductive regions and define an opening above each of said spaced-apart conductive regions; and forming a conductive contact in each of said openings, each of said conductive contacts being conductively coupled to one of said spaced-apart conductive regions.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein a temperature ramp rate during at least a portion of said thermal treatment process falls within a range of about 10-80° C./sec.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein said layer of insulating material is comprised of one of silicon dioxide, porous SiOCH or a low-k (k value less than 3.3) insulating material.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein said conductive contacts are comprised of copper, aluminum or tungsten. 